Department of War

The 'Department of War' refers to the United States Department of War, a former executive department (1789-1947) that preceded the Department of Defense, overseeing the U.S. Army and military affairs. Government type. No direct involvement in UAP/UFO research, as UAP investigations began post-WWII in 1945 with Air Force-led programs like Project SIGN (1947), GRUDGE (1949), and BLUE BOOK (1952-1969), which analyzed thousands of sightings but found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology or foreign adversaries. Key activities included early UFO report collection amid Cold War concerns; achievements were debunking most cases as misidentifications (e.g., GRUDGE reviewed 244 reports). Disbanded in 1947; functions transferred to DoD. Current status: defunct, with UAP records now centralized by NARA in Record Group 615. AARO's 2024 historical review confirmed no ET evidence across all USG efforts since 1945.